Temptation
by pinkharts
Summary: Reed has to find out who's trying to kill her before it's too late. But she's also got to choose between Upton and Josh. She knows Josh already has Ivy, but she still loves him. And Upton is just too much for her sometimes. Who will she choose in the end?
1. Close Call

**Ok, I know this is kinda late to start writing my own version of Suspicion. But whatever. Today's my first day of summer! So now I'm going to start writing stories again. I usually only write Clique fics, (you can go to my page and read them), but I also love the Private series, so I decided to write one. Haha. So yeah. Please read and review!!**

**-xoxo-**

The freezing water hit me the instant I touched the ocean. I tried to yell out for help, but the water consumed me. I couldn't feel anything and I was using all my energy trying to stay afloat. My dress was weighing me down. I decided to take it off. I struggled with my zipper but I finally managed to pull it all the way down and I got out of my dress. But as soon as I did, I was ten times colder. I started to panic. This time, I really was going to die. I frantically paddled closer to the yacht, but the waves kept pushing me back. I tried to yell for help again.

"Help!" I shouted. Water instantly filled my mouth. I coughed and sputtered. I was getting so tires. Suddenly I heard voices out on the deck.

"Are you ready for the next round?" I recognized the voice as Taylor's.

"Of course. Just watch, I'm going to win." That was Kiran.

"Help!" I yelled with all the energy I had left.

"Did you just hear someone?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, but where did it come from?" Kiran wondered.

"Guys, down here!" I yelled as loud as I could over the crashing waves. My legs were completely numb now. I didn't even know if my legs were still moving. I was feeling really light-headed. I looked up again and saw Kiran Taylor's heads appear over the railing.

"Reed!" Taylor shrieked. Kiran's mouth opened in horror. She ran off to get some help. I could tell that Taylor was freaking out now.

"Reed, here!" She threw me a lifesaver and I reached out to grab a hold of it. I clung onto to for dear life. Kiran came back with Dash, Noelle, Upton, and Daniel. Noelle's face immediately turned pale. She looked ready to faint.

Upton quickly dove into the ocean. He quickly reached me and grabbed me, swimming toward the yacht. Daniel and Dash bent over the railing and held out their arms. Upton lifted me up and they took a hold of me and lifted me out of the freezing water and back onto the yacht. I collapsed and was immediately laid on a nearby lounge chair.

By now, I was shivering uncontrollably. Noelle reached me and immediately gave me her coat. But I was still shivering.

"Reed, what the hell happened?" Noelle asked, "Why are you only in your bra and underwear?"

I blanched. I had totally forgotten about my dress. "I-I-I-had to-to take it off," I chattered.

"Reed!" Upton cried out, pushing Noelle to the side. Noelle shot Upton a glare but didn't say anything. He took me into his arms and I immediately started feeling warmer and started to relax. But then I remembered what had just happened a few minutes before I went overboard. I pushed Upton away.

"I'm fine," I mumbled and stood up. I tried to walk away, but I guess I was wobbling around and too weak to walk, because the next thing I knew, I was in Daniel's arms. I smiled weakly at him. "Daniel, can you please take me to a room where I can change?"

Daniel looked surprised but said, "Sure,"

"Noelle, can you please come with me?" Noelle came to my side in a flash and put my arm over her shoulder while Daniel did the same with my other arm. But I still couldn't walk. I was on the deck, wearing nothing but my bra and underwear and Noelle's coat, too weak to even stand and walk. Daniel seemed to read my mind and he picked me up and carried me through the game room. I was vaguely aware of people stopping their game and starting at me. I heard Poppy's annoying laughter as she came up to us.

"What's wrong with her?" Poppy snickered, "Had a little too much to drink and fell into the pool?"

"Shut up, Poppy," Noelle snapped, pushing Poppy roughly away.

Poppy glared at her brother, as if she was waiting for him to do something in return. But all Daniel did was ignore her. Poppy put her hands on her hip and called after him. "Daniel, what the hell are you doing with Reed?"

Again, Daniel ignored her and kept on walking. He carried me to a room far away from all the people and noise and gently laid me down on the bed.

"There's got to be some extra clothes around here," Noelle said, flinging the closet open. She turned to Daniel. 'Thanks, I can take it from here."

Daniel nodded and gave me one last look of concern before leaving.

Noelle handed me a bathrobe. "Sorry, that's all I could find in the damn closet." She helped me up and gave me the bathrobe. "Why don't' you take a bath first?" She suggested.

I nodded and started heading towards the bathroom when someone knocked on the door.

"Reed, you in there?" Upton's voice traveled through the door.

Noelle looked at me and I shook my head.

"Go away, Upton. She doesn't want to be bothered right now," she said.

"Please, I just want to make sure she's okay," Upton begged.

Noelle looked at me once again and I still shook my head.

"She's fine," Noelle sighed. "She's taking a bath right now. She'll be back soon."

"Okay, tell her I stopped by."

"Yeah, sure," Noelle said and as soon as Upton left, she asked, "What's up with you and Upton? I thought you would have gladly let him in."

"Can we not talk about it right now?" I exhaled and turned the water on, letting it slowly fill the tub. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Fine," Noelle replied, "I'm going to go ask around to see if anyone brought an extra set of clothes, ok?"

"Ok, sure," I replied, stepping into the tub. The hot water immediately relaxed my muscles. I closed my eyes and laid my head back against the marble wall. I shuddered as I thought of what had just happened fifteen minuets ago. I had nearly died. Again. Someone wanted me dead. Was it Poppy who pushed me? It would make perfect sense if she was the one who did that since she's probably furious that Upton had chosen me over her. But I couldn't jump to conclusions just yet. I wasn't sure whether it was her or not. I certainly didn't know that Sabine was crazy Ariana's sister, as she was just as crazy as her sister. What if I was wrong again?

Suddenly, a door slam brought me out of my thoughts. I tensed. Was Noelle back so soon?

"Hello?" I called out tentatively. There was no answer. "Noelle, is that you?" I heard footsteps approach and the doorknob jiggled as the person tried to open the door to the bathroom. I bit my lip to stop a shriek from coming out. I was go glad I locked the door. The doorknob stopped jiggling and the footsteps faded. I heard the door open and close and then it was completely silent. Oh my god. Who was that? Was it the same person who pushed me overboard? Was she trying to kill me again after she found out that her first time failed?

"I'm back!" Noelle said, tapping on the door to let me know. I jumped. "Luckily, Taylor had an extra and you guys are sort of the same size. Sorry, it was the best I could do. No one else had anything."

I smiled. "That's fine, thanks."

"Ok, so I put the dress on the bed," Noelle said, "Are you hungry? I could go and bring you some food."

Now that she mentioned it, my stomach was growling. Food sounded very good right now. "Yeah, I'm starving."

"Ok, then I'll be right back." And with that, Noelle left once again.

When she left, I got out of the tub and dried myself off. I looked at the mirror and saw a blood-shot pale looking girl staring back at me. I was such a mess. I didn't want to go back outside. I opened the door to get the dress Noelle had gotten me. As I grabbed the dress, I saw a piece of paper out of the corner of my eye, lying on the night stand. I picked it up.

_Looks like my plan didn't work as well as I wanted it to. It's ok, though. There's always more chances later. I'll be seeing you around, Reed!_

**-xoxo-**

**Yup. So there's the 1st chapter. What did you think? Review, please!! :]**


	2. Jackpot

**First of all, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed!! I wasn't expecting to get so many reviews! :] So thank you!! And I would also like to thank 'LHollis' ****for correcting my mistake. It's been a few months since I read Paradise Lost, so I kinda forgot stuff. So thanks for correcting me!**

**--xoxo--**

My hands started shaking and the note fell from my hands, fluttering to the ground. My killer was just in the room. I sank down onto the bed. This could not be happening. Then Noelle came in, her hands full of two trays filled with food.

"So, I got caviar, shrimp, mini-sandwiches—" she stopped as soon as she saw my face. She placed the trays on the table and rushed to my side. "What's wrong?"

I wordlessly picked up the note and gave it to her.

"Wait, what the hell happened?" Noelle breathed, after reading the note. "You never told me what happened tonight."

I took a deep breath and faced Noelle. "I was outside on the deck earlier when someone grabbed my necklace and pushed me overboard."

"Someone pushed you overboard?" Noelle gasped her eyes wild and disbelieving.

I nodded and continued. "And when I was taking a bath, someone came into the room, tried to get into the bathroom and left me this note."

"Holy shit," Noelle exclaimed, "Do you know who did that?"

I shook my head. I didn't want to tell her that I suspected Poppy. It was way too early to tell.

"Oh my God, here, you have to eat first before we do anything." Noelle handed me the tray of mini-sandwiches. I picked up a piece and took a bit of it. The sandwich tasted plain and hard. I swallowed and set it down.

"I'm not hungry."

"No, Reed, you have to eat," Noelle insisted.

I gave her a look and finished the piece. "There, can we just go?"

Noelle gave me a look back and sighed. "Ok, fine. But you're sticking with me for the rest of the night."

I nodded wearily, "Of course, 'there's no way I'm going anywhere alone anymore," I got up and handed Noelle her coat back but she shook her head.

"No, you can keep it."

"No, I can't. Here."

"Keep it," Noelle said sternly.

"Ok, thanks. "I put on the coat and the two of us headed back outside.

"So is now a good time to talk about you and Upton?" Noelle casually asked, raising an eyebrow.

I groaned. "Ok, fine. Why the hell not? I mean, this night couldn't get any worse."

"Ok, so why are you ignoring Upton?"

"I'm…not," I hesitated.

"Come on," Noelle scoffed, "I can see the tension between you two. Something's not right between you guys."

"He's just a man whore," I blurted out, "He's been with almost every girl and it bothers me."

Noelle shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Yeah, but that's just the way he is. You can't change him."

"I know. Why can't he be more like---" I stopped myself from saying his name.

"Josh?" Noelle finished knowingly and I avoided her gaze. "Come on, Reed. Josh already has a girlfriend. You need to get over him already."

"I know," I mumbled. But I couldn't. I just couldn't.

We reached the end of the hallway and Noelle hooked her arm with mine as we entered the game room. More than ten heads swiveled around and fixed their gazes on me. I winced.

"Just ignore them," Noelle whispered to me.

Taylor, Kiran, Dash, Daniel, Sawyer, and Graham quickly surrounded us. Taylor gave me a crushing hug and when she pulled away, I saw that her eyes were moist with years.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"What exactly happened?" Sawyer asked.

"Where's Upton?" Noelle asked at the same time. I elbowed Noelle and she gave me an innocent look.

"Oh, the last time I saw him, he was with Poppy," Dash answered.

I snorted. I looked around casually and spotted Upton weaving his ay through the crowd to me.

"Reed, can I please talk to you?" He asked when he reached me.

I looked at Noelle and shave me a slight nod.

I sighed, "Ok,"

A relieved look appeared on Upton's face. He took my hand.

"Noelle, can you please explain to everyone what happened?" I asked as Upton was leading me away.

Noelle nodded and gave me a thumbs-up. Upton led me to a secluded corner and we sat down.

"Can you tell me what exactly happened?" Upton asked first.

Dammit! Seriously, if someone else asks me that question one more time, I was going to jump overboard. I took a deep breath and told the whole story again. When I finished, Upton's mouth was hanging open.

"Who would do something like that?"

Hmm, how about your psycho semi-stalker, wannabe girlfriend, Poppy? I refrained myself from saying that. "I don't know," was all that I said.

"Oh, Reed," Upton reached out to hug and hold me, but pulled back.

"Don't," I said, shaking my head.

Upton stopped, looking genuinely confused. "What's wrong?"

I laughed bitterly. "What's wrong? My whole damn life. That's what's wrong." I turned around. "I think you should be getting back to your girlfriend." I quickly walked away before Upton had a chance to respond. I made my way back to my friends. Noelle gave me a questioning look and I just shook my head. "When is this over?"

"It's over in about half an hour," Taylor answered. "Maybe we should cut the party short."

"No, it's fine," I hastily said, "I was just wondering." I felt someone brush the back of my neck and I whipped around. There was no one there. I shuddered. Maybe that was just the wind or someone passing by. I pushed my hair back, letting it cover my neck.

"You ok?" Daniel asked, giving me a concerned look.

I pasted on a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." And to prove it, I said, 'Anyone up for a round of poker?"

"Yeah, I am. One last game for tonight, "Graham smiled.

Everyone agreed and soon we were playing girls versus boys again. In no time, It was down to me and Daniel. And of course, I beat him. Guess I still had my winning streak. All the girls cheered while the boys groaned and whined. At this time, the yacht reached the slowly got off the yacht and the last thing I saw before getting off, was Poppy's arms hooked around Upton's waist. She caught me looking and gave me a triumphant look as if she had won the jackpot tonight.

And in a way, she actually did.

**--xoxo-**

**So yeah. There's the second chapter! Review and tell me what you liked about it! :]**


	3. Confrontation

**Thanks for all the reviews! And no, I'm not Kate Brian. Haha, I wish. :[ This chapter's going to be longer than the other two. Enjoy! :]**

**--xoxo--**

The next morning, I woke up with a start. All the memories from yesterday came flooding back to me in a rush. I groaned and covered my face with my pillow, trying to fall back asleep. But I couldn't. All the memories from last night were so livid. I couldn't get rid of them. I looked at the clock and it was only seven-thirty. Who was up at this ungodly hour? I glanced to the right and saw bouquet of roses on my nightstand with a card next to it. I picked up the card and no surprise here, it was from Upton.

_Reed, I didn't like the way things ended last night. You didn't give me a chance to explain things over. Things are very complicated right now. I really need to talk to you. Please call me. I'll be waiting._

_Upton_

I set the card back down and sighed. Why did Upton have to be so damn sexy? Why did he have to be British? If he was less sexy and not British, it would be so much easier to just ignore him. But there's no way I could ignore him now. I took out my cell pone and brought up Upton's number. My finger hovered over the call button. Then I pressed it and heard the ringing tone.

"Reed?" Upton picked up on the first ring.

"Yeah, it's me," I said, "What do you want?"

"Listen, Reed, can we meet somewhere this afternoon to talk?"

"And where would that be?" I asked.

"At Shutters," he replied.

I paused. Should I really be doing this? I debated on whether I should meet him or not. I ended up with yes. "Okay, fine," I sighed. "What time?"

"Will four-thirty work for you?"

I had nothing planned for the day so I agreed. "Sure,"

"Great, four-thirty it is then," Upton said, "I'm so glad you called, Reed,"

"Yeah, well, thanks for the roses." I felt the need to say that. "They're beautiful,"

"Oh, you're welcome," Upton said.

"Listen, I gotta go now," I said, I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Of course, see you soon, Reed."

I hung up. Maybe seeing Upton this afternoon was a bad idea. But I only agreed to meet him to set thins straight. That's it. Nothing more.

Still in my pajamas, I quickly tiptoed downstairs as to not disturb any of the Langes and headed outside, the cold fresh air blasted me and it felt really good. It completely woke me up. A hand landed on my shoulder and I screamed. I turned around, ready to poke the eyes out of my attacker. But it was just Noelle who gave me a grimacing look.

"Geez, wake up the whole neighborhood, why don't you?" Noelle winced.

I frowned and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to,"

Noelle cracked a smile. "It's fine. I should have known better than to sneak up on you."

I let out a small laugh.

"What are you doing out here?"

"What are you dong up so early?" I countered.

"Couldn't sleep," Noelle simply answered.

"Same here. I came out here to get some fresh and clear my head."

Noelle nodded, "Well, since we're both up now, why don't we go back inside and get some breakfast?"

I nodded. "That sounds good,"

We both headed back inside to the kitchen. Two omelets were already made for us by the Lange's cook.

"So, do you have any plans for today?" I asked as I took a bite of the omelet.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Noelle answered. "I booked a mani and pedi appointment this afternoon for just the two of us at three."

"Why do we need to get manicures and pedicures?" I was just fine with my regular nails.

"Besides the fact that your nails are in dire need of a mani and pedi," Noelle said, "My parents are hosting an annual charity party tonight."

_Another party thing? There already has been lots of parties. _"Oh, how come I didn't know about this?"

Noelle rolled her eyes, "My parents just told me last night and you were already asleep. They apparently had already sent out all the invites beforehand. They just failed to mention it to us."

"Oh."

"And after that, we're going to go shopping for new dresses because it's obviously formal," Noelle continued, "Our manis and pedis should be done at around four or a little later than that."

"Oh, but I―" I stopped. "Never mind."

"No, tell me," Noelle prompted, setting her fork down on her plate.

I sighed, there was no way avoiding this now. "I'm meeting Upton at Shutters at four-thirty this afternoon."

"When did this happen? I thought you said you were done with him," Noelle said, giving me an admonishing look.

I shrugged. "I know, but he wants to talk to me and explain things."

Noelle scoffed, "Whatever, we're still going shopping no matter what. I guess we could go after your meeting. It better be quick."

I nodded. "Don't worry, it will be." _Just get in and get out._

"Good," Noelle smiled, throwing her empty plate into the sink and I did the same. Noelle's cell phone rang at that moment.

"Hello?" she picked up. "Oh, hi, Dash," A blush was creeping onto her face. "Yeah, the party's at six today. Yeah…yes…okay, I'll see you in a few hours."

"What did Dash want?" I asked, giving Noelle a knowing look.

"Nothing, he just asked when the party was and then he said that he would be there tonight," she answered and added, "Like I care. I know everyone's coming tonight."

I laughed. Noelle was still trying to hide the fact that she still liked Dash. "Noelle, what's up with you and Dash?"

She gave me a look and I stared back innocently, waiting for her answer. I figured I could ask since she had asked about me and Upton.

"_Nothing._ What do you mean what's up with me and Dash?"

I sighed. Did I have to spell it out for her? "I know you still like Dash," I said, "And Dash is clearly in love with you. Everyone else notices that except for you. You keep ignoring him."

"That's not true," Noelle sniffed.

"Come on," I sighed, "You have to stop pretending."

Noelle turned away from me, facing the kitchen stove. "Prove it,"

_Stop acting like a child!_ I groaned. "You know what? Just forget it. Just forget about what I said."

Noelle was silent.

"Anyways, what are we going to do for like, five hours?"

Noelle shrugged, "I don't know. What can we do? Let's try to go back to sleep."

I laughed, "Good idea,"

We headed back upstairs. I was going to need all the energy I could get for this afternoon.

**--xoxo—**

Three hours later, Noelle and I were getting ready for our appointment. A half an hour later, we arrived at our destination. We were seated immediately and the ladies started working on us. I chose Ruby Red and Noelle chose Baby Pink. We left the spa, happy and refreshed. But then I remembered my meeting with Upton. Noelle's driver took us to Shutters.

"Just call me when you're done," Noelle said, as I got out of the car.

I nodded and waved goodbye. I headed inside and looked around to see if Upton was here or not.

"Reed!' I heard him call out my name and I saw him walking up to me. He hugged me and then kissed me on the cheek when he reached me. He kissed me on the _cheek._ But wait, why did I care that he kissed me on the cheek and not my lips? I didn't. Because I was so over him. I was so over his almost perfect face with that little scar. I was so over his British accent. I was so over everything about him. So why did my heartbeat pick up when he took my hand and led me over to one of the tables? Damn you, Upton Giles. Damn you and your stupid British accent.

"Okay, first of all, I would like to apologize for my behavior last night," Upton began, "I'm terribly sorry I acted that way. I just sort of freaked out and my head wasn't thinking correctly."

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"And you have to know that I have no feelings whatsoever for Poppy," Upton said, "Never did and never will. I only have eyes for you."

"Yet your wannabe girlfriend acts like she owns you and you don't do anything about that."

Upton frowned. "Poppy is just, just…" He trailed off, struggling to come up with a good word that described her.

Stupid? Annoying? A bitch? I could go on and on.

"I guess she's just complicated," Upton finally said.

Complicated? Complicated was an understatement for this girl. "Complicated?" That was the best he could come up with?

"Yes, complicated. Everything is complicated right now," Upton sighed, closing his eyes.

"What about Mrs. Ryan?" I asked, wanting to get all the information I could get. "Why is she always so uptight and unfriendly?"

Upton clasped his hands. "I don't really know. That's just the way she is."

_Yeah, like how you're just a complete and total man-whore._ "I know she doesn't approve of me and likes Poppy to take my place."

Upton grimaced. "Yes, but all that doesn't matter, Reed. Don't you understand that I just want to be with you?"

My heart started fluttering. No, Reed, do not fall for him again. You're done. Totally over him. I cleared my throat. "What are you doing to do about Poppy?"

"There's nothing much I can do about Poppy," Upton said, "But just forget about her, will you? Just focus on us, please."

"Us?" I laughed. 'There is no _us_. Last time I checked, there was no 'us'. Last time I checked, you and Poppy were hooked at the hips." I know I was being a little bit too harsh. But I had to be in order to stay away from Upton. _You're doing a good thing_. I reminded myself. I took out my cell phone and speed-dialed Noelle. "Noelle, can you please come pick me up now? Thanks." I stood up. "I'll be seeing you tonight," I said over my shoulder as I started to walk away. "Unless Poppy's too busy sticking her tongue down your throat."

As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a twinge in my chest. But I quickly shook it off as I walked through the doors of Shutters.

**--xoxo--**

**So, I have a question for you guys. Do you want Reed with Upton or Josh? :] Let me know in a review! Also, I'm going to LA on Friday for the weekend, so I'm going to come back on Sunday, so I'm not going to be able to update my stories then. But maybe I'll update tomorrow! So keep checking! XOXO**


	4. Surprise

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!! I've been sick for the past couple of days…but all your reviews made me forget about my sickness! :] And change of plans, I'm not going to LA anymore. :[[ BTW-I already had the idea of having Josh come to the party before any of you guys reviewed! :]**

**--xoxo--**

It was now six-thirty and I was wearing a black strapless jewel encrusted gown with matching heels that Noelle had picked out for me. She was wearing a white halter embroidered gown with silver heels. It has been half an hour already, and there was no sign of Upton or Poppy. Maybe they weren't going to show up. Oh wait, I spoke too soon. I saw Upton weaving through the crowd with Poppy by his side. We made eye contact for a moment and my face heated up. He gave me a sad look and broke the gaze.

I looked away and focused on what was going on around me. Noelle was talking with West, but I noticed she was stealing glances at Dash who at the moment, was talking with a girl I didn't know. In fact, there were tons of people that I have never seen before. I excused myself from the group and wandered over to the refreshments table. I was picking up a shrimp when someone called my name.

"Reed!"

No, not just someone. _Josh._ The shrimp fell from my hand. Josh?! I whirled around and found myself face to face with Josh. _Josh._ He was really here! Out of the corner, I spotted Upton making his way to me. God, why couldn't he just leave me alone? I turned my attention back to Josh.

"Josh! What are you doing here?"

He embraced me in a long hug and I completely melted. When he finally pulled away, he said, "Noelle e-mailed me about what happened! What is going on?"

Noelle? She e-mailed Josh? I looked over at Noelle and she raised her glass in acknowledgement to Josh. Wow, I didn't know whether I wanted to hug Noelle or kill her. I turned back to Josh and shrugged. I was starting to get used to all these near-death experiences which was not good. Not good at all.

"Reed!" I groaned. Upton had reached me.

"Go away, Upton," I growled, "I'm busy right now. Can't you see?"

"This is really important!" Upton seemed to be completely oblivious to Josh.

"Um, I don't think we've been introduced yet," Josh cut in.

"Oh, Upton, this is Josh, my friend, and Josh, this is my _friend_, Upton, that I met on the island," I quickly introduced.

"Did he have to do with anything that happened last night?" Josh's voice hardened.

"Whoa, the only thing I did was save Reed's life," Upton snapped.

I looked at the two of them. _Okay, I don't think the two are going to become friends anytime soon._ I gently but firmly pushed Upton away and he slowly walked away. "What about Ivy?" I asked Josh.

"Oh, Ivy is healing nicely," Josh smiled, "She's almost back to normal."

"Wow, that's quick," I said.

"Yeah," Josh nodded, "And when I showed her the e-mail, she said that I should go visit you to make sure you're okay."

"Really?" I was touched and surprised that Ivy would even allow Josh to something like that. She and I were slowly becoming friends.

"Yeah, so I booked the earliest flight I could get and came here to find you."

I smiled, staring into Josh's amazing eyes.

"So you're okay and everything?" Josh asked, looking at me intensely.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," _Now that you're here._

"Good, then do you want to head outside and maybe go someplace else?"

I froze. Noelle would probably kill me if she found out that I left the party to go somewhere else with Josh. But then again, it was her who brought Josh here in the first place. Whatever, I was just going to play it safe. "How about let's just go outside?"

Josh nodded, "Sounds good to me." We headed outside into the backyard and we sat down on a bench.

"So how are you and Ivy?" I asked quietly, fingering the hem of my dress.

"Good," Josh answered, "Good. And how about you?"

"Good, I'm good," I said absentmindedly.

"What's up with that Upton guy I met earlier?" Josh asked. "Are you guys dating or something?"

I sighed and groaned. "No, are you kidding me? We are _not _dating at all."

"He seemed to kind of act like you guys are." Josh gave me a doubtful look.

"Josh," I looked him straight in the eyes. "Trust me, we are not dating."

"But you guys were," he said, "Am I right?"

"I don't know," And I was telling the truth. I honestly didn't know if you would call what Upton and I had a 'relationship'. "It's complicated, for a lack of a better word." Huh, the word 'complicated' seemed to be used a lot these days.

"Upton doesn't seem like a really good guy," Josh commented, "He' just…I don't know. He's not the right guy for you."

_But you are._ I smiled sadly, tracing the patter on the bench. "Then who is the right guy for me?"

Josh was silent for a moment. "I don't know," he finally said. "But whoever ends up getting you, is one lucky guy." He said that so quietly I almost didn't catch it.

My heart started thudding. Him just being here just made my whole day. No, my whole trip. He was staring at me intensely and I was staring right back at him. My gaze fell down onto his lips. I wanted to kiss him so badly. He slowly leaned in and I did the same. But then he stopped and put a hand on my shoulder. I quickly jumped away as if he burned me.

"I'm sorry, Reed," Josh mumbled, getting up. "I have to leave." He gave me quick hug but I barely registered it.

I was silently cursing myself for being so foolish. Tears started falling, ruining my makeup. But I didn't care. I laid down on the cold hard bench, curling up into a fetal position. How could this have happened? This shouldn't have happened. My life was so screwed.

"There you are, Reed!" Noelle called out, coming outside. "Everyone's been wondering where you are."

I didn't say anything.

"Where's Josh?" Noelle asked, coming closer. She stopped when she noticed me lying on the bench. "What's wrong?"

"Josh l-left," I hiccupped, sitting back up. "Why did you e-mail Josh about what happened?"

Noelle shrugged, "I thought he should know." She bit her lip and frowned. "Was that a bad idea? What did Josh do?"

"We almost kissed," I whispered, covering my face.

"Whoa, whoa." Noelle set down her drink. "You guys _almost _kissed?"

I nodded, "Yeah, he made the first move,"

"Why would he make the first move? He has a girlfriend." Noelle said. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

I grimaced. "Yeah, well, it wasn't the other way around." _I'm such an idiot._

Noelle sat down next to me and hugged me. "It's going to be okay. Do you want e to talk to Josh?"

"No!" I exclaimed, "Do not do that!" I did not want Noelle causing more trouble. I love Noelle, but sometimes she interferes too much. I got up and headed back inside with Noelle trailing behind me. I wiped my face, making sure to get rid of any mascara or eyeliner marks. "I need a drink," I grabbed a drink off a tray of a passing by waiter. I downed the whole thing immediately. I grabbed another one and finished that off quickly too.

"Okay, whoa, slow down," Noelle said, taking the glass away from me.

"No," I said. I needed to take my mind off of what just happened. I bumped into Sawyer. "Sorry," I giggled. I've only seen Sawyer smile once before and that was on Casino Night after I'd won him some money.

But just now, he smiled at me and said, 'It's okay,"

I hooked arms with Sawyer and grabbed another drink. "So what are you reading right now?"

"Um, nothing, currently," he answered.

"Really? That's a surprise," I laughed, "I always see you with a book."

Sawyer shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "I know, but right now, I'm just taking a break from reading."

"What are you doing now then?"

Sawyer started talking about different things that I can't remember because my head was feeling fuzzy. From then on, all I could remember was walking around with Sawyer and talking about different topics. I don't know why I didn't notice this before, but Sawyer was actually really cute. Actually, even hot. We sat down on the couch and I turned my head towards Sawyer. He looked so happy and relaxed right now. I leaned in and kissed him. He was surprised at first and hesitated for a bit, but then he smiled and kissed me back.

"I still have to get you something for the necklace you gave me," I mumbled,

Sawyer laughed. "Don't worry about it. You don't need to."

I nodded slowly and rested my head on his shoulder. "Yes, I do."

"Okay," Sawyer chuckled, "If you really want to."

I smiled and kissed him again. Maybe this night was looking up…

**--xoxo--**

**Ok, sorry for the suckish ending. :[ So yeah, I'm not going to LA anymore, so I can update during the weekend! Yay, haha. Oh yeah, so basically a lot of people want Reed with either Josh or Sawyer, and only a couple people voted for Upton. Haha. To be honest, I kind of want Reed to end with all 3 guys (not all at the same time obviously) ;] But IDK in what order. You'll have to stay tuned! Review! BTW-I finished reading a book called Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles yesterday and it is absolutely amazing!!! It is SUCH a good book! If you guys haven't read it yet, you should! And for people who have read it, what did you think of it? XOXO**


	5. Hookup, Breakup

**Hey, sorry I didn't update for over a week! I was really busy. But anyways, I just finished reading ****Beautiful Disaster****, the 2****nd**** book in the Privilege series by Kate Brian, and it's really good! You guys have to go read it. Haha. **

* * *

I knew drinking last night was a bad idea when I woke up. My head was pounding and my mouth was so dry and it tasted horrible. I groaned and rolled over, trying to fall back asleep so I could forget about the pain. But no such luck because Noelle had chosen to burst into my room at this very moment.

"Reed," Noelle smiled, "You have a visitor!"

"Huh?" I groggily managed to sit up and stared at Noelle blankly through my half-open eyes. "Look who's all bright and energetic." Noelle was being way too happy for such an early hour. I glanced at the clock. Oh, never mind. It was already almost noon.

"Look who's all hung over because she drank way too much last night." Noelle shot back, smirking. She went over to the window and through open the curtains. The intense light hit me and nearly blinded me. I groaned and tried to throw a pillow at Noelle but missed.

"Your Prince Charming is waiting downstairs for you."

I sighed. It looked like I had no choice but to head downstairs. But who would be here at this hour to see me? If it was Upton, I was going to kill him. I kicked off my covers and glanced in the mirror. I gasped. My hair looked like it had died and there were rings under my eyes. Great. Way to look good for my Prince Charming. I quickly ran my hand through my hair a couple times and headed downstairs. I immediately let out a breath of relief when I saw it wasn't Upton, but rather a brown-haired guy. I sucked in my breath as I got closer. Oh shit. It was the guy who had left me outside in the garden last night. Josh. Why did Noelle call him "Prince Charming" when he was the total opposite right now. "What are you doing here?" I asked, stopping at the foot of the stairs. I couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I came here to apologize," he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I didn't say anything. I just kept my gaze on the marble floor. He took a step closer to me and I glanced. Josh looked really upset and troubled.

"I'm sorry for what I did last night and I'm sorry for just leaving like that."

It seemed like everyone was apologizing to me these days. I couldn't take all of this. I was about to say something when the doorbell rang. I brushed past Josh and opened the door. And came face to face with…Sawyer.

"Sawyer! What are you doing here?" I exclaimed, aware that Josh had come up behind me. Sawyer leaned in and gave me a kiss. I felt Josh stiffen behind me.

"Oh, I just thought we could go out for lunch today," Sawyer replied, looking behind me at Josh. "But if you're busy right now, I could come back later or I could call you later."

"No, no, it's fine." I hastily said.

"Josh was just _leaving_. Come in. Go say hi to Noelle and I'll be with you soon." Wow, I sounded like a store clerk or something talking to a customer. When Sawyer left the room, I turned back to Josh, putting my hand on my hip.

"So is that your new boyfriend?" Josh asked, his face hardening and turning into a scowl.

I shrugged as if it was no big deal. But really, I wasn't sure if Sawyer and I were dating. I mean, her certainly acted like we were. But I wasn't sure. I thought back to last night and remembered all the kissing that happened between me and Sawyer. Yeah, I could see why Sawyer was acting like we were dating.

"Damn it, Reed." Josh punched the post of the stair. "Can't you just answer the question?"

I blinked. Where did all that anger come from? I decided not to let Josh see my reaction and retorted, "Yeah, why? You jealous?"

Josh snorted, "As if,"

I nodded. "Okay, good. Do you have anything else you need to say or ask?"

"No, I'm just wondering why I even came here in the first place." Josh glared.

"Good question," I glared back, "I'm wondering the same thing." That's it. I've had enough. I was definitely _so_ over Josh now. There was no way I still liked him. "Why don't' you just leave now?" I snapped.

"Good idea, I was thinking the same thing," Josh laughed turned around and left, slamming the door behind him.

I slumped against the wall. What just happened? Noelle came bounding down the stairs along with Sawyer.

"Is everything okay?" Noelle asked. "Did Josh just leave?"

"Yeah, he left," I muttered.

Sawyer must have sensed something was wrong because he said, "You know what? I'm just going to come back tomorrow."

I quickly put on a smile. "What? No, stay, Sawyer. I just had an argument with my friend and I need someone to cheer me up."

"You sure?" Sawyer peered at me.

I nodded. "Absolutely, let's go out for lunch."

"Okay, great, I know a great place." Sawyer smiled and kissed me again.

"Oh my God. You two?" Noelle was gaping. "When did this happen?"

We both avoided this question.

"Oh god forbid." Noelle groaned. "Pretty soon, you're going to have been with every guy on this island, Reed."

I threw Noelle a _Shut up_ look and kicked her in the shin.

She winced and grinned. "Just kidding. I only meant _half _the guys here." She started cracking up but stopped, when I kicked her again even harder.

"Okay, okay," she held up her hands in surrender. She turned and started heading back upstairs. "I'll leave you guys alone now. I've got a date."

"With who?" I demanded.

"His name is Chace Hunter," Noelle answered. "I met him last night at the party. He's really sweet, funny, and smart."

"But what about―"

"Gotta get ready," Noelle cut me off "Have fun, guys! I'll see you later!"

I rolled my eyes and then winced. My headache wasn't getting any better. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. I moaned. I couldn't go out to lunch right now. I was feeling like shit and simply was in no mood to go out. I turned towards Sawyer. "Look, Sawyer, I am feeling _way _under the weather." I didn't need and didn't want to say the reason why though. "It must have been something I ate last night or maybe I'm just getting sick. Can we not go out for lunch? Maybe dinner instead?"

Sawyer nodded understandingly. "Yeah, sure. Only if you're feeling better. We could always go some other day."

I smiled. Sawyer was so sweet. I gave him a hug. "Thanks so much. I better go up and get some rest if we're still going out tonight."

Sawyer laughed. "Yeah, you should go and rest. Get better soon, ok?"

I half-smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I'll try."

Sawyer smiled and gave me once more kiss, seeming to have forgotten that I might be sick. "See you later, Reed." He turned and left.

I sighed and bounded up the stairs. Well, actually, more like trudged back upstairs in my case. On the way to my room, I stopped by Noelle's room to check how she was doing. "Did you find a good outfit?" I asked, entering her room. Noelle came out of her bathroom and did a little twirl.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Wow, you look amazing." She was wearing a a cute, purple strapless summer dress with white sandals. She looked good, of course.

Noelle smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Thanks, I wasn't sure if I should wear this or not."

"Oh, please, you look good in everything." I laughed, wishing I could look that good in everything. "So, where are you going?"

Noelle shrugged. "I don't know," she smiled. "Chace said it was a surprise."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Well, I'm going back to bed. Have fun."

"Wait, I thought you and Sawyer were going out for lunch."

"Yeah, but I told him I wasn't feeling well and so we're going out for dinner. If I feel well enough by then." I smiled sheepishly.

Noelle laughed. 'Nice, well you have fun sleeping and stuff."

"And you have fun with your date," I said and then under my breath, I muttered, "Even though you're going out with the wrong guy."

"What?"

"Huh? Nothing," I quickly said, giving Noelle a reassuring smile. I turned around and headed back to my room. "See you later," I called over my shoulder. I gratefully sank into my bed and closed my eyes. I relaxed and quickly drifted off to sleep.

**--xoxo—**

When I woke up, I found out that it was already eight o'clock. Holy shit. I had been sleeping for like, almost eight hours straight. My stomach rumbled loudly and I groaned. I was so hungry and it was obviously too late to go out with Sawyer. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and texted Sawyer.

**Reed:**** hey, sorry! I just woke up. We'll go out for sure 2mrrow. Im so sorry! :[**

**Sawyer:**** haha. Don't worry about it. Yeah, 2mrrow's good. :]**

**Reed:**** :] ur the best!**

I laid back down and sighed. I wondered if Noelle was back yet. After all, it had been eight hours already. A date couldn't last _that _long. So I got out of bed and walked across the hallway to Noelle's bedroom. I pushed open the door and there was no Noelle. I checked the bathroom and the walk-in closet just to make sure. Seems like Noelle was having such a good time that she didn't want to come home. I turned and was about to leave when something bright caught my eye. It was Noelle's laptop and she had left it on. I walked over to her desk to turn it off but froze. The laptop was open to her e-mail. And I swathe e-mail Noelle had sent to Josh. It was just sitting there. I really wanted to take a look. Just one. Wait, I couldn't do that. I would be invading Noelle's privacy. Oh, but the e-mail was about me so I really wouldn't be invading. I bit my lip and clicked on the e-mail. I was dying to know exactly what Noelle had written.

_Josh,_

_Get your stupid ass over here ASAP! Reed just nearly died last night and I'm thinking she would like to see you. If you want the details, you better be here before tonight. My parents are having a party tonight and you can come if you're here. I'll give you the details of the party. Just get here! I don't give a shit of what Ivy says if you tell her. Reed still likes you, you know. I'm pretty sure you didn't need to me to tell you that, but…Ok, I don't know why this e-mail is so damn long. Let me sum it up for you: GET YOUR ASS HERE __**NOW!!!**_

-_Noelle L._

Wow. I thought Noelle disliked Josh. I mean, she still showed her distaste for him in the e-mail, but there was some kindness in it too. I felt a twinge and remembering what had happened earlier brought my dangerously close to tears. I took a deep breath to clear my head. Why the hell was I still thinking about Josh? Josh had Ivy and I had Sawyer. He was the past. I double clicked to go back to the previous page and decided to leave Noelle's computer on-as it was.

I left Noelle's room and went downstairs to get something to eat. The whole house was dead silent and there were no lights on. I slowly made my way downstairs and fumbled for the light switch. I opened the fridge and searched for something good to eat. Nothing good there, so I opened the other side of the fridge. There was a box of frozen pizza. Perfect. I grabbed the box, took the pizza out and popped it into the oven. I then wandered over to the living room and turned on the T.V. I was flipping through the channels when I heard something thud against the window. I quickly turned off the T.V. and slowly walked up to the window. Another thud came from the other window and I froze.

At this point, I didn't care whether it was a burglar or not. I just didn't want it to be my pyscho stalker coming to kill me. I reached the window and pulled back the blinds a bit. I couldn't see anything. I t was pitch black outside and I was getting more freaked out by the second. I wished this house wasn't so damn big and empty all the time. Really. There were like, five extra bedrooms that were never used. Lame, but whatever. I was having bigger issues right now. I tensed, waiting for another thud. But there was no noise.

I retreated back to the couch and the smell of something burnt was in the air. Shit. I jumped off the couch and raced to the kitchen. I opened the oven and my pizza was all black already. I quickly opened all the drawers in an attempt to find some over mitts. When I finally found a pair, I took the pizza out and laid it on the counter. I sighed. Great, now the pizza was ruined and I was pretty sure there was nothing else to eat in the fridge.

The door suddenly opened and in came Noelle. "See you tomorrow," she giggled and leaned in to kiss what I presumed was Chace. She closed the door and sniffed. "Ew, what happened?"

I sheepishly pointed to the burnt pizza. "I accidentally burnt the pizza. Lost track of the time." I didn't want to tell Noelle I got distracted by something that was potentially scary.

"Well, that's a shame." Noelle came over and threw the pizza away.

"Yeah." I laughed. "Where were you this whole day?"

Noelle smiled brightly. "Oh, Chace took me to this really romantic restaurant out near the coast and then afterwards, we went back to his house for the rest of the day."

I nodded. Of course, that explained it all. I sighed. I didn't get to go out with Sawyer and I had no dinner. So much for resting and getting better.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? To all my Reed with Sawyer people-are you happy now? Haha. I didn't really have an idea for this chapter…but whatever. Review! :]**


	6. Author's Note!

**Author's Note:**

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't been updating very frequently. But…I have some news!

I'm going on vacation for 5 weeks and I'm leaving today!!! And I tried to make one last update for you guys, but I couldn't b/c I was too busy packing and stuff! I'm sorry! So anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know that I obviously won't be updating at all for 5 weeks, unless I get computer access somewhere! But even if I don't, I will be writing new chapters during the trip and I will update quickly when I get back!

So I'll get back to you guys in 5 weeks! (Or hopefully sooner!) :]

P.S.-Did you guys not like the last chapter?? B/C I only got 4 reviews... :[[

XOXO


End file.
